NTIA Urges FCC to Lift Bans on Community Broadband

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, Lawrence Strickling of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration wrote, “Working with existing service providers is often a very strong option for communities. But in cases where existing providers are not meeting a community's needs, the community should have the flexibility to explore other options, including various types of public-private partnerships or municipal broadband. One such option is for communities to build and operate their own broadband infrastructure. This choice is certainly not always, or even typically, the best solution for a community, particularly where existing service providers are willing and able to meet communities' evolving needs. But allowing communities to consider and leverage a full range of options allows for communities to most efficiently and successfully meet the needs of their citizens. Such flexibility should be encouraged, not limited…. The Administration urges the FCC to ensure that communities have the tools necessary to satisfy their citizens' demand for broadband.”